Welcome to the World
by inner thoughts
Summary: Amanda goes into labor but will they get to the hospital on time or does the Agency get in their way? LONGER EDITED VERSION


Lee stared blankly into his cup of coffee. He didn't know how much more of this he could take: the worry, the anticipation…the sleepless nights. He raised the coffee cup to his lips and took a sip of the piping-hot liquid. The fog in his brain was ever so slowly beginning to lift.

"_Why the hell did morning come so soon", _he said to himself.

"Well, well, well! Don't we look like we have been run over by a truck this morning, Scarecrow!" Francine said with a thick sarcastic tone as she pranced into Lee's office. "If it were 10 years ago, I would know exactly what you were up to last night to give you that look. But ever since you said 'I Do', I KNOW your evenings aren't quite as exciting."

Lee looked up from his cup of joe at the bubbly blonde. Her blue eyes were sparkling and she looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"Can it, Francine. I didn't get much sleep last night, as you obviously can tell…and I'm not in the mood to exchange barbs with you this morning." Lee snapped back.

"OK, Ok! Geesh! Can't anyone take a joke around here?"

Lee looked up at her with a half apologetic expression on his face and sharply took another sip of his coffee. After he placed the cup back on the desk, he took a breath and realized he had to start his day.

"What do you want, Francine?"

"Nothing, really. Nothing urgent at the moment, thank goodness! I was just checking to see if there was any news on baby Stetson."

Lee leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair.

"Nope. Nothing yet. What the hell good is a due date anyway if the baby is going to come when he wants?"

"**HE** wants? Know something I don't?" Francine said as she took a seat across from Lee.

Lee smiled a bit.

"Amanda is convinced it is a boy because Philip and Jamie were both late, too. I would just like for it to hurry up and get here."

"Anticipation getting to you?"

"No…well, yeah a little. But it's more Amanda. She is driving me nuts! Do you know why I couldn't sleep last night?" Lee said leaning forward in his chair, placing his elbows on his desk.

Francine smirked. "Oh, I bet I could make some guesses!" she said in a giggly tone.

"No, not that…she is doing something she called 'nesting'. She is constantly cleaning and rearranging everything in the house! Last night at 2:00AM, she started moving around all the furniture in the baby's room! She said that it was bothering her the way we had it set up and that she couldn't sleep until it was done. So being the 'good' husband, I helped her move the crib….and then the changing table….and then the dresser….and then the crib again! Before I knew it, it was 4:30. The night before, she was taking everything out of her dresser and refolding all her clothes. If she doesn't go into labor soon, I am going to have to check into a hotel, I swear." Lee flopped back into his chair and rubbed his eyes with his hand.

Francine stifled a laugh. She never in a million years thought that she would see Lee Stetson talking about the impending birth of his baby. She was taking a quiet pleasure in seeing him slightly helpless.

"Well, you could always let her loose in the supply closet! That thing needs organizing so badly, it's not even funny!"

"No…no, no. We finally got her to stay home and start her maternity leave. I am not even going to joke about having her do anything around here because if she got wind of that…..she would come down here and do it."

"I wasn't joking….the supply closet really does need organizing and it might tire her out so she'd sleep at night. Plus, I really don't want to do it!"

"No! Absolutely not! Amanda is at home resting and isn't coming back here until after the baby is born." Lee said with a bit of venom in his tone.

"Easy, Scarecrow! What's the big deal? All I asked was if she could come organize some boxes of pencils and some carbon paper."

"You would think that it would be that easy, wouldn't you, Francine? But we're talking about Amanda here. She NEVER does what you tell her to do. She would start in the supply closet and then before you know it, she would be knee deep in some sort of international plot to eliminate all French Poodles. No, no, NO! I DO NOT want Amanda back down at the Agency until after the baby is born and that's final!"

Francine looked at Lee with a stunned look on her face. The stress of waiting for this baby to be born was really getting to him. She tried to think of something to calm him. As she opened her mouth to speak, a soft knock was heard as the door to Lee's office swung open.

"Hello", a woman's voice sung out.

Francine smiled from ear to ear. "Well! Speak of the devil! How are you feeling, Amanda?"

Lee shot up from his chair as he watched Amanda waddle into his office.

"Hello, Sweetheart!" Amanda said to Lee.

"Amanda? What are you doing here? Is it time?" Lee said with much panic and annoyance in his voice.

"No, it's not time. Harry came over this morning and was coming down here and asked me if I wanted to take a ride and I said yes. Thought maybe you could use my help?"

Francine's eyes widened as she smiled at Lee.

"Well, Amanda….now that you mention it…" Francine began.

Lee shot her a dirty look.

"No, Francine…Amanda, you're supposed to be home resting. You're on maternity leave! You're not getting involved with anything here. We've discussed this MANY times, Amanda!"

Amanda lowered herself into the chair beside Francine; her large stomach making it difficult for her to bend.

"Lee, I don't need to rest. I have plenty of energy. In fact, I feel more energetic today than I have in a long time. Let me help. Francine, what do you need help with? I have been sitting at home for 2 weeks, now and I am going a bit stir crazy. Come on, let me help! What kind of case do you need me on? Kidnapping? Weapon smuggling? The new spy satellites?"

Amanda smiled and waited in sweet anticipation for her 'assignment'. Lee inhaled sharply and began to pace back and forth in disapproval.

"Well, uh…Amanda. I was just telling Lee that we _could_ use your help with something." Francine looked up at Lee with a half-smile on her face. "You see, Lee has been telling me how much you are into organizing these days and well…I thought you might like to tackle the…ummm….supply closet?"

The excitement drained from Amanda's face as she tried to hide her disappointment. Lee put his face in his hand and shook his head ever so slightly.

"Oh…the supply closet." Amanda said in a disappointed tone.

"Yes! You know what a mess it is in there and who better to get it back into working order than someone that loves to organize! It should only take a few hours and then you can go back home and rest. What do you say?" Francine said in her most charming voice.

Lee looked at the two women before him. One he knew could charm an Eskimo into buying ice and the other never did what she was told. It was a battle he was too tired to fight this morning. He began gritting his teeth as he waited for Amanda's answer. Amanda ran her hands over her big belly and contemplated Francine's offer.

"Well, I guess I could spare a few hours. Lee, can you take me home after I am done? I don't think Harry was planning on staying that long." Amanda said.

"How about I just take you home now and we forget this whole silly business?" Lee shot back.

"No! I want to help and I am not ready to go back home yet."

Lee let out a heavy sigh. "Ok, fine…..you've got 2 hours. Then I am taking you home. Got it?"

Amanda smiled. "Got it! Francine, give me the keys!"

Francine stood up, took the keys off of her wrist and handed them to Amanda. "Thanks, Amanda! I owe you one!" she said as she scurried out of Lee's office.

"Uh-huh, I'll add it to the list" Amanda said under her breath. "Sweetheart, are you ok? You seem like you are upset."

Lee looked at Amanda with a somewhat surprised expression on his face.

"Seriously, Amanda? How many times this week have we talked about you not coming down to the Agency in your condition? You never know what whack-o's there might be coming in and out of this building. Plus, you should be resting."

"Well, that is true, Lee, but I didn't think a quick visit with Harry would do any harm. And I can't stay in that house another minute. I'm going crazy! I just want this baby to come and he won't! I just sit there all day hoping that today will be the day when he finally is born! Every time he moves, I am hoping that I am going into labor. I've tried everything I know of to help get labor started and nothing has worked-the spicy foods, the foot massages, walking up and down the block for what seems hours on end, and I don't think we have had sex so often since we've been married!"

A devilish grin spread across Lee's face. "You don't hear me complaining, do you?" he said.

"Lee, this is not funny! I'm tired of being pregnant-I can't get comfortable, I have to pee ALL the time, and look at my ankles!"

Amanda was getting visibly upset. Lee went around his desk and knelt down beside her chair and took her hands in his.

"Amanda, I am not trying to upset you. I just want to keep you as safe as I can. This whole waiting for the baby thing has me on edge. It sounds silly but I guess I didn't realize how much it is wearing on you, too. You always seem so calm when you are talking about waiting for the baby to be born."

"I might seem calm but inside I am a nervous wreck. Why do you think I am up at all hours of the night?"

"Hmmmm….about that. Do you think tonight we can NOT rearrange any furniture?"

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I didn't mean to keep you up."

"I know….and it's ok." He gently raised her hand to his lips and placed a kiss in her palm. "Come on. Might as well get started on that room. But I am serious, 2 hours, that's it!"

"Ok" Amanda said as she struggled to get out of the chair. Lee chuckled as he offered her his hand and gently helped her out. Lee kissed her on the cheek and escorted her out of his office and down the hall to the disaster area known as the supply closet.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

It was only 9:30AM, yet the Bull Pen was already alive with action. The freshman agents' meeting was just about to commence when every phone in the place began to ring, the teletype machine began spitting out reports and Billy Melrose strolled through the glass doors with a look on his face that meant trouble.

"So much for a quiet morning", Francine said to herself. "Billy! I didn't expect to see you today!"

"I didn't expect to BE here today, Francine. Where is Scarecrow? We need to talk?" Billy barked.

"Last I saw him, he was in his office. Shall we go look for him there and you can tell me what's going on?" she replied.

"Excellent idea" Billy said as he stormed through the Bull Pen and into Lee's office.

"Oh boy, this is not going to be fun…" Francine said under her breath as she followed Billy into Lee's office.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Amanda gasped as she opened the door and turned on the light to the supply closet. The sight that awaited her was impressive to say the least. Boxes of pens and pencils were strewn on the shelves, on the floor…a spilled box of paperclips was covering the dark blue carpet. Everywhere she looked, Amanda saw another mess and boxes upon boxes of supplies and documents out of order.

"Oh…my…GOSH! How could it have gotten this bad? I only left 2 weeks ago, and it looked nothing like this!" Amanda said as she took a visual inventory of the disaster area that lay before her. "Lee, I will never be done with this in 2 hours!"

"Too bad! That's all you get….and you shouldn't even be working for the 2 hours. Do what you can and I will pick you up, right here, in 2 HOURS. Got it?"

Amanda stood straight as a board as she saluted Lee and shouted "YES SIR!"

Lee let out a heavy sigh and quickly exited the supply closet, almost running over an agent in the process.

"Whoah! That was a close one!" the handsome, young Agent Parkinson exclaimed as he jumped out of Lee's way.

"Sorry, Rick. My mind is somewhere else today", Lee replied.

"No worries. Francine sent me down here to tell you that you are needed back in your office. Mr. Melrose is here and needs to see you ASAP."

"Billy?" Lee questioned. "What the hell is he doing here? Uh…thanks, Rick. See you later."

Lee quickly retreated down the hall. Rick Parkinson opened the door to the supply room, startling both Amanda and himself.

"OH! I wasn't expecting to see anyone in here. How are you Mrs. King…uh Stetson….." he said nervously.

"How about just calling me Amanda? And I am fine. Just trying to organize this MESS!" Amanda replied as she restacked the boxes of pencils.

"I thought you were out having your baby." Rick said back to her with a confused tone to his voice, his eyes darting around the room.

"Well, I was supposed to have had this baby 2 weeks ago, but he is being very stubborn and seems to want to stay put. I was going crazy at home and just came down here to see if I could help out with something. Organizing this mess was not what I had in mind." She said as she blew a wisp of hair off her forehead.

"Well, Amanda…you shouldn't be lifting all these boxes of stuff. Why don't you go home and let me handle this mess."

"Oh, no. I can't leave now. I want to make some headway on all of this." Amanda said gesturing to the multiple piles on the floor.

"OK, Tell you what, why don't I give you a hand and we can get it done twice as fast! I can start with these boxes", Rick replied.

Amanda smiled a smile of relief. "Oh, Rick that would be fabulous! I don't know why all these boxes are such a mess. It looks like a tornado went through here. I mean, just look at that box of file covers? Is it really necessary for them to be all over the floor like that? Can't people just come in, take what they need and close the box back up? If I didn't know better, I would say that my boys have been here. This room looks like their bedrooms."

Suddenly a woman who Amanda only knew as Sue, threw open the door-surprised to see them occupying the room. She was a slender woman in her 20's, about Amanda's height, with strawberry blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her thin lips tried to force a smile at the sight of Amanda and Rick.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "You startled me! I didn't realize anyone would be in here."

Rick looked at Sue and then at Amanda.

"What are you doing down here, Sue?" Rick asked in a somewhat pointed tone.

"I needed a, uh…a….legal pad…for the briefing we have…with Dr. Rein." Sue quickly and awkwardly grabbed a legal pad from the shelf. "Aren't you coming, Rick? We don't want to be late."

Rick quickly looked at his watch. "Oh, Amanda….I am so sorry. I forgot I have a briefing, but it shouldn't take too long. I'll be back in a few. Don't worry about these boxes…..I will take care of them when I get back. OK? Promise me you won't touch them?

Amanda began to chuckle. "OK, fine. I promise. Besides, I think I have plenty to work on without touching those boxes."

Rick and Sue scurried out of the supply closet. Amanda began to analyze Sue's strange behavior and how uneasy she seemed to be.

"_Oooohhhh!", _she said to herself_, "They must have been planning a secret little rendezvous here at work…in the supply closet. Guess it was just poor timing!"_

Amanda began to smile as she thought of all the times she and Lee tried to grab some alone time in the Q-Bureau, and like Rick and Sue, someone was ALWAYS there to interrupt them and foil their plans.

"C'est la vie", she said aloud and continued her organizing.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Lee opened his office door to find Francine seated on the couch and Billy pacing back and forth in his office. Standing over Lee's desk was a man that Lee didn't recognize. He had some sort of device in his hand that was letting out a series of beeps and clicks. Lee inhaled to speak, as Billy raised his pointer finger to his own lips, indicating that Lee shouldn't speak.

The beeping stranger wandered over to the large potted plant that lives in the corner of the office. Without warning, the beeping becomes more and more frantic. In one swift motion, the stranger plucks something out of the plant and drops it in a glass of water poised on Lee's desk.

"We should be all clear now, Mr. Melrose." Dan said as he held up the glass containing a small metal object.

"Is that what I think it is, Billy?" Lee exclaimed.

"Yup, Scarecrow….we've got ourselves a mole." Billy replied stoically. "Sorry to spring the exterminators on you, but I didn't want to tip off whoever planted that bug in your office. Thanks, Dan. You can head down to the lab with the other bugs. We will check in with you in a few minutes."

Dan nodded to Billy and exited Lee's office.

"Bugs? You found more than one?" Lee questioned.

"Three to be exact. One in here, one in the Q-Bureau and one in reception of all places."

"How long do you think they've been there?"

"Oh…we guestimate about 2 weeks."

"2 weeks? Well how the hell did we miss them? This place is swept for bugs all the time! How did you know that they were even there?"

"Well, that question is the easier of the two you just asked to answer. The W.A.L.T. fiasco last week got us thinking that it was an inside job. The way that went down was just too suspicious. They knew exactly where Caron was going to be and what time he was going to be transferred. Damn shame to see him gunned down like that." Billy went silent for a moment, lost in reflection. "So, we floated some bogus info on the plans for the new XJ-23 stealth bomber earlier this week and our sources on the inside have said that someone has been offering up the information to what will be the highest bidder."

Lee thought intently for a moment.

"XJ-23? Billy, why have I never heard of the XJ-23?"

Billy smiled a knowing smile. "That's because it doesn't exist. I had Francine do what she does best and run her mouth about the XJ-23 all over the building, and nowhere else. She never mentioned a word to anyone unless she was in this building. We also had some phony blueprints drawn up and kept in the Q-Bureau. And these plans went missing last night."

"Well just because she didn't speak about the XJ-23 to anyone outside of the building, doesn't mean that someone else didn't. That doesn't prove we have a mole here at the Agency."

"True, but she also only spoke about the whereabouts of the blueprints when she was in the Q-Bureau, on the phone….. to me. We found the bug up there last night, about an hour after the plans went missing."

"Are there any leads on who the mole is?"

"A few, but we will hopefully know more once those bugs are analyzed."

"Why the hell wasn't I told about any of this, Billy?" Lee said with a great deal of anger building up in his voice.

"Because, Lee, when all this starting coming to light, I thought you would be out with Amanda having your baby. I didn't tell you because I didn't expect you to be here and I didn't want to give you anything more to worry about. You have been stressed enough as it is."

Francine gave Billy and almost imperceptible nod of agreement to his last statement as she walked out of the office. Lee ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Yea…." Lee replied flatly.

"How is Amanda?"

"How is Amanda? Driving me CRAZY! That's how she is. She's always cleaning and rearranging. We were moving around the furniture in the nursery at 3:00am today. And then, even when I specifically told her not to, what does she do today? Comes down to the Agency!"

Billy had to refrain from laughing. He knew that some of the things that frustrated Lee the most about Amanda were also the exact things that made him fall in love with her.

"Well, where is she?" Billy said with a chuckle. "I'd love to see her."

"She's cleaning the supply closet of all things!"

Billy burst out laughing unable to contain it any longer. "The supply closet? What is she doing that for?"

"Because Francine asked her to," he said in a very annoyed tone "and I figured, how much trouble can she get into in the supply closet."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Sue grabbed Rick's arm and dragged him into an alcove down the hall from the closet.

"What is SHE doing in there?" Sue said in intensely hushed tones.

Rick wrenched his arm out of Sue's grip.

"I was as shocked to find her in there as you were, but I had it under control! I was just about to retrieve the blueprints when you barged in. NOW, she's in there by herself and it's only a matter of time before Amanda Stetson finds them!" Rick said with anger in his eyes.

"Well you had better get back in there and get those blueprints! Do you know how much money we stand to lose if she finds them? Or even worse, if she finds them before the agency even knows they're missing? We've managed to sell secrets to the highest bidders for _months_ without being found out, and NOW when we are about to get our biggest deal yet, it could all be ruined by Amanda Stetson. I don't want to go to jail."

Sue began to pace.

"Don't you think I know how much we have riding on this?" Rick exclaimed. "Just shut up for a minute and let me think." Rick stared at the floor for a moment before inhaling deeply through his nose. "Ok, get the buyer on the phone and tell him the drop is still on for tonight."

"But…" Sue interrupted.

"JUST DO IT!" Rick shot back. "I will get the blueprints and get out of the Agency before anyone can stop me. Go on, get out of here."

Sue nodded and quickly entered the stairwell. Rick took a moment to take some deep breaths and straighten his tie. He took out his weapon and examined the clip to make sure it was fully loaded and then he proceeded to the supply closet.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

"Scarecrow, I hope you don't mind me saying, but you look like hell! Why don't you go home and let us handle this?" Billy said.

"Go home? How can I go home when I know that one of my agents is a mole? A mole selling secrets right under my nose?"

Francine came bursting into Lee's office carrying a video tape and two photographs.

"Billy, we were right! It was EXACTLY who we thought it was-Sue LaGrow and Rick Parkinson! Got the proof right here on the tape."

"Sue and Rick?" Lee questioned. "What makes you so sure it was them?"

"Well," Francine began, "There have been a lot of, shall we say, irregularities coming out of their department. A lot more things slipping through the cracks than usual. And then, there were the hairs I found in the records room."

"Hairs? You found hairs in the records room? OOO! Big clue there, Francine!" Lee sniped.

"Excuse me, Mr. I'm-Crabby-Because-I've-Had-No-Sleep….they WERE a big clue! I was down there last week looking for the financials for W.A.L.T. when I met Sue coming out of the room. She seemed startled and nervous that I saw her coming out of the room. I didn't really think anything of it, until I went to the cabinet where the W.A.L.T. files were being kept. Closed in the top drawer, I found 5 long strawberry blonde hairs, just like hers. She was obviously looking in that locked file cabinet. She had no business being in that cabinet and I am still not sure how she got in…..but now we know it was definitely her."

Billy quickly grabbed the ringing phone sitting on the coffee table next to him.

"Melrose. Uh-huh….Prosokovich?...Damn! I should have seen that coming!"

Francine and Lee looked at each other in a bewildered fashion.

"Finally some good news!" Billy said into the receiver. "Put her in interrogation under HEAVY guard. Francine will be down there momentarily."

Billy hung up the phone and exhaled.

"Well?" Lee asked as Francine asked the same question with her big, blue eyes.

"It seems that the mysterious buyer of our secrets….and the one that was willing to pay $25 million dollars for the XJ-23 blueprints has been none other than Yakov Prosokovich."

"How did you find that out?" Francine asked.

"Seems that Burns caught Sue LaGrow red-handed contacting Prosokovich and giving details of the drop they had set for tonight. We now have her in interrogation. I am sure, Francine, that you will have no trouble getting all the information out of her that we need-considering that she has already given up Rick Parkinson as her partner in crime."

"Well, where is Rick now?" Francine asked?

"We are pretty sure he is still in the building. We haven't found him yet." Billy replied.

"I saw him this morning" Lee said as he rubbed his temples. He suddenly shot up from his chair.

"What? What is it? Where did you see him?" Francine asked.

"Downstairs at the supply closet, talking to Amanda." Lee said flatly.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Amanda stepped back and began to admire her work. The shelf that contained the Agency's writing utensil supplies was now looking neat and organized: the pens were arranged by color and by point size, the pencil boxes were stacked neatly on their own shelf and beside them were extra pencil top erasers and two electric pencil sharpeners. She was debating if she should put the White Out next to the pens or over on the shelf with the typewriter ribbons.

Amanda leaned back and stretched. Her back was cramping up from bending over and also reaching up over her head for the last 45 minutes.

"Maybe 2 hours was too long," she thought to herself. "I'm ready to go now."

Amanda sat down on the stool that was in the corner of the closet. Her back was hurting and she was tired of standing. She thought that maybe Lee was right and she should have stayed home. She decided that she was going to finish the shelf of typewriter ribbons and head back upstairs and see if Lee would bring her home now.

"Oh! Rick! You startled me! I honestly didn't expect you to really come back!"

Rick quickly entered the closet and shut the door.

"Of course I came back! I promised, didn't I? I told you I would take care of those boxes."

Rick looked over at the boxes and noticed they were far neater than when he left them almost a half hour ago.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I just tidied them up a bit. I put the stray folders back in their correct boxes. Funniest thing, though. I found these blueprints stuck inside one of the boxes that was half full of junk. They look important-Some kind of plane." Amanda retrieved the blueprints from the shelf behind her and read from the title: "XJ-23. I was just about to call it quits and bring these up to Lee. Someone must have misplaced them."

"Why don't you let me take care of those for you?" Rick said with a sharp edge to his tone.

"Oh, it's really no trouble. I was about to head upstairs anyway." Amanda replied as she stood up from the stool.

"I'm afraid I really can't let you do that" Rick said as he withdrew his gun from its holster under his suit jacket. Amanda's eyes went wide at the sight of the gun, her right hand instinctively protecting her belly while the left retained the blueprints. "Just give them to me. I told you not to touch those boxes. Everything would have been fine if you just hadn't touched those boxes. Now, I have to figure out what to do with you. I have a very short window to get those plans to the Russians and collect my reward."

Amanda began to feel a little panic in her gut.

"Rick, you really don't have to do this."

"Shut up! Just shut up!" He said as he waved his gun. "Sit down, sit down and just be quiet so I can think."

Amanda slowly sat down on the stool. Her mind was frantically searching for a plan to get her out of there. It was then that an all too familiar yet very poorly timed pain wracked her belly. Amanda let out a yelp of surprise mixed with pain.

"Uh-oh" she said under her breath. "I'm going into labor."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Lee ran out of his office taking his gun out of its holster as he went. Francine was on his heals as they both headed for the supply closet.

"Lee…..Lee just wait a minute. Let's have our heads on straight before we go barging down there and make a potentially bad situation worse."

Lee stopped and glared at Francine. He knew she was right but the fear was beginning to mount inside him.

"Damn it, Francine! THIS is EXACTLY why I didn't want Amanda here! Damn it!" Lee repeatedly pushed the elevator button as hard as he could.

"We aren't even sure that Parkinson is in there with Amanda, Lee. Calm down so we can have an action plan."

Lee let out a heavy sigh…."Ok….OK. I know you're right, but let's get the hell down there and find out what's going on."

The elevator dinged and opened its doors. Lee and Francine quickly got on.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Amanda leaned forward and grabbed the underside of her belly as another contraction hit.

"What are you doing? Just sit still so I can think!" Rick said again.

"Rick, I am having trouble sitting still because I have just gone into labor. You need to let me go or you're going to have me and a newborn baby in here."

Rick began to panic and raised his gun aimed at Amanda.

"I really wish it didn't have to be this way, Amanda. But $25 million is a lot of money and I am not going to jail. I told you not to touch those boxes!"

Lee and Francine ran off the elevator and to the closet door. They both had their weapons drawn.

"Amanda? Amanda, are you still in there?" Lee called out to her.

Amanda's face perked up at the sound of Lee's voice.

"Yes, Lee! I'm here but I'm…ahhh"

Amanda's voice cut out as another contraction hit. Lee could hear the pain in her voice. He flung open the door and kicked the gun out of Parkinson's hand. Francine kicked the gun away and placed her gun against Rick's temple.

"It's all over, Rick…..it's all over. Sue gave you up like a bad habit. You won't be meeting anyone tonight except your jail warden." Francine said as Lee slapped the cuffs on him.

"Amanda, are you ok?" Lee yelled to her.

"I'm fine, except I'm in labor."

Lee's face grew ashen. "What? You're in labor? Here? Now?"

"Yup! And this baby is coming fast. We need to get to a hospital now!" Amanda said as another contraction began.

Francine yelled down the hall for the guards to come and to bring a wheelchair.

"Amanda, I thought the whole labor thing took hours. That's what all the books say." Lee said in a panicked voice.

"Well, Sweetheart…most of the time it does. I think I was in labor this morning and didn't realize it. I thought my back hurt from moving all the nursery furniture last night, but I think it was the start of contractions." Amanda said as she sat in the wheelchair.

Lee stood frozen next to Amanda, holding her hand. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Lee….unless you want me to have this baby in this closet, I suggest we get going now."

Lee looked at Francine and then at Rick.

"Go, go! I'll take care of this! Go have your baby!" Francine hugged Lee. "I never thought I would see the day when the great Scarecrow became a daddy!" She whispered in his ear.

"Neither did I," he whispered back.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

The silver Corvette raced through the street of Georgetown at top speeds.

"Easy, Lee. Don't get us killed on the way to the hospital! I'm not delivering at this moment. We have a little time. My water hasn't even broken yet."

Lee screeched to a stop at the next intersection. If he was by himself he probably would have blown through the red light. But given the circumstances, he thought it would be better if he stopped.

"Ok….I just want to make sure we get there in time. Are you ok? Are you in a lot of pain?"

"I'm fine….and yes I'm in a lot of pain. I'm having a baby!"

Amanda squeezed Lee's hand hard as the next contraction hit.

"uh-oh…" Amanda said as she looked at Lee.

"Uh-oh? Uh-oh what?" Lee replied.

"Lee…..forget what I said before. You need to hurry. My water just broke."

Lee's eyes widened.

"Your water just broke? On the seat of my Corvette?"

Amanda shot Lee a look….he realized as soon as he said it that the seat of his Corvette was the last thing that he should be worrying about.

"Sorry…ok, hold on."

As the light turned green, Lee peeled through the intersection leaving tire skid marks on the pavement. Thankfully, the hospital was only a few blocks away.

Amanda has seen Lee in countless life or death situations. Even in the toughest situations, Lee was always calm and knew what to do. But today, right now as he drove them to the hospital to meet their new baby, he seemed flustered and shaken. Amanda wasn't sure if she liked seeing this side of him, or if it terrified her.

Lee again brought the car to a screeching halt as he pulled up to the emergency room entrance of the hospital. Two orderlies came running up to the car.

"Please help! My wife is about to have a baby!" Lee yelled.

In an instant, a wheelchair appeared and Amanda was rushed into the hospital. Lee looked at the car and watched Amanda being pushed into an exam room. He tossed the keys to one of the orderlies.

"Park her for me?" he said as he ran in after Amanda.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Lee sat down in the chair of Amanda's labor room and took the first real breath he had taken in the last hour. Cradling his temple with his palms, he began to process the events that were unfolding before him.

"Mr. Stetson?" Lee looked up to see Amanda's doctor, Dr. Kesselman standing over him. He quickly stood up and shook her hand. An orderly rolled in Amanda on her bed from the emergency room. She was smiling but obviously in a lot of pain. Lee walked over to her and began to stroke her hair back from her face kissing her forehead at the same time.

"Hi…uh….how are you feeling? And the baby? How long until the baby gets here?" Lee asked in rapid fire succession.

Dr. Kesselman smiled and Amanda began to chuckle.

"Well, your wife is doing great and I expect that within the next hour or so, we might have a baby!"

Lee grabbed Amanda's hand and smiled a nervous smile that was mixed with both delight and nausea.

"Wow! An hour? Our baby might be here in an hour? Amanda….the baby might be here in an hour!"

Amanda looked up at Lee as she breathed through her latest contraction. Her body wracked with pain, she somehow managed a half smile. Once it passed she relaxed a bit.

"Hopefully, less than an hour. I don't remember the contractions being this strong with the boys."

Amanda held Lee's hand as she tried to let her body do the work. Lee looked down at his wife working through the pain. As excited as he was, he was finding it very difficult to see Amanda in pain. He flashed back to their honeymoon with Amanda lying in the hospital bed. The situation now was much different but almost as difficult to watch.

"Mr. Stetson? Mr. Stetson?", the doctor said to Lee, snapping him back to reality. "I need you to go get ready. If you follow the nurse, she will show you where to change and we will take care of Mrs. Stetson. But don't take too long. It's almost time to start pushing!"

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

"Here, put these on if you are planning on going into the delivery room." The 50-something year old nurse said to Lee as she tossed him a set of blue scrubs. "You can pull them on over your regular clothes if you want. Don't forget the booties to put over your shoes and the cap to put on your head. Once you are all set, come on out and I will bring you back to your wife's room."

Lee took the clothing from the nurse. "Thanks" he said followed by a sharp exhale.

"First baby?"

"Uh..yea…first for me…third for my wife."

"Awww, don't worry, honey….everything will be just fine! And Dr. Kesselman is one of the best! Your wife couldn't be in better hands."

Her kind words bring a soft smile to Lee's face and a sense of relief began permeate his body. He quickly pulled on the scrubs and even remembered to put on the little booties.

"Ready?" asks the nurse.

"Ready." Lee replies.

"Ok….let's go meet your baby!"

Lee and the nurse walk down the hall. The excitement is building up within him. He can hardly believe that he is finally going to meet his child. As they round the corner and near Amanda's room, there is chaos in the hall. Two nurses come running out of Amanda's room followed by an orderly quickly pushing Amanda out of her room and down the hall.

"Wait! Where are you taking her? What's going on?" Lee asks in a panicked voice.

One of the nurses that just ran out of the room doubles back and speaks to him.

"Are you Mr. Stetson?"

"Yes, I am! What's wrong? Where are you taking Amanda?"

"Mr. Stetson….try to remain calm. The baby's heart rate suddenly dropped dangerously low. We have to get him out now so they are bringing your wife for an emergency c-section. Come with me and I will bring you to the waiting room."

All the blood seemed to have drained out of Lee's face. His world was just turned upside down. A moment ago he had it all; now his world has been turned upside down. The reality was….he could lose them both.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Lee sat in the waiting room still wearing his blue scrubs. He stared at the clock but was quite sure it hadn't moved at all in the last 20 minutes. He felt so helpless and useless. He began to pace around the very small waiting area, his mind wandering to the past.

"_Please- I'm in trouble."_

"_What is it you want me to do?"_

"_Take this and get on the train. It's a matter of life and death. Hand it to the man in the red hat. You can get off at the next stop and forget all about this-but just do it!"_

Lee smirked to himself…."Who knew the whole train car would be filled with men in red hats?"

"_Amanda…you know….you and I do have a lot to talk about. We have been getting to know each other for three years now….and I think there's a lot about you that I don't know but I'm sure going to enjoy trying to find out."_

Lee remembered how soft and perfect their kiss was that followed his speech in the Q Bureau that day. He could still feel their sweet first real kiss on his lips. That seemed like a million years ago and yesterday all at the same time.

"_I, Lee, take thee, Amanda, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish all the days of our lives._

"_I ,Amanda, take thee, Lee, to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish all the days of our lives."_

"_This ring I give Thee, in token and in pledge of my constant faith and devotion…."_

"…_Lee Stetson and Amanda King, I am pleased to announce you Man and Wife."_

Lee began to wring the blue cap in his hands. For most of his life, Lee never though he would settle down with one woman, let alone marry her. How long ago that seems to him now…and now he may lose her. His mind was swimming with all the catastrophic scenarios that could be going on behind those operating room doors. He was about to lose his cool when he heard his name called.

"Mr. Stetson?"

Lee whipped around at the sound of his name.

"Mr. Stetson, would you like to meet your daughter?"

"My…..my DAUGHTER?" Lee stepped forward towards the nurse holding the tiny pink bundle. She was so small and made soft cooing sounds.

"Yup….your daughter! All 7lbs 4oz of her!" The nurse gently placed the baby into Lee's arms.

"Oh…I don't know if I should….she's so small."

"Don't be silly! You won't break her. Just support her neck. She's had a rough day!"

Lee looked down at this perfect little girl. Her eyes were closed and her face was bright pink. She began to make little crying noises that made her nose scrunch up. On her head, she had brown hair, just like her mother.

"Amanda!" Lee blurted out. "How is my wife? How is Amanda?"

"The doctor will be out to talk to you in a little while, but she is doing just fine. You can relax now. The hard part is over."

The nurse smiled as she took the baby from Lee back to the nursery. Lee could feel himself smiling from ear to ear. Suddenly, his legs seemed to turn to jell-o and he sat down quickly. All the excitement of the day was catching up to him and the reality of it all was setting in. He put his head against the wall and inhaled deeply. As he closed his eyes, he saw the beautiful face of his daughter….the remarked at how perfect and tiny she was. Tears began to well up and escape from Lee's eyes. He was a man that showed little emotions, especially in public, but today, he couldn't help himself.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you", Lee murmured aloud. "Thank you for Amanda's health and for our beautiful little girl." To whom Lee was speaking, he wasn't totally convinced, but he knew that thanks were owed to whoever was listening.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Amanda began to stir and began to wake-up from her emergency c-section. She looked over and saw Lee sitting by her side, holding her hand.

"Hey there, Mamma!" he said to her.

"Hi there….is the baby ok? Where is he?" Amanda asked in her still groggy voice.

"The baby is just fine…..SHE is perfect, just like her mother." Lee said as he smiled down over Amanda.

"She? We had a girl?"

"Yup, we had a girl!"

"Are you sure? Are you sure it wasn't a boy?

Lee laughed. "Yes, Amanda. I am sure. They do a visual test when the baby's born that is pretty accurate."

"Have you seen her?"

"Just for a minute. She is beautiful….she's like nothing I have ever seen before in my life." Lee began to tear up again. He leaned down and kissed Amanda very gently. "Thank you….."

Amanda leaned into Lee's kiss and began to tear up as well.

"Did the doctor say what was wrong with the baby? Is she ok? What made her heart rate drop so low?"

"The baby is fine, but it was a good thing they got her out when they did. Our daughter tied a knot in her umbilical cord and it was cutting off her blood supply."

"Knock, knock!" the nurse said as she entered the room pushing a bassinet with a tiny baby wrapped tightly in a pink blanket. "I thought you might want to meet your daughter, Mrs. Stetson."

Lee pushed the button on Amanda's bed and brought her to more of a sitting position. Amanda's eyes lit up as she outstretched her arms, ready to receive her baby. The nurse stayed for a moment to make sure Amanda was steady enough to hold the baby and then quietly left. Lee and Amanda both stared at their daughter, examining her face, her tiny ears, her fingers, her toes. Nary a word was spoken yet so much was said.

"She really is beautiful, isn't she, Lee?" Amanda finally said.

"Yes she is. But we were so sure that she was going to be a boy we didn't really choose a girl's name." Lee replied.

"Well, I have a thought…let me know if you like it. I think we should name her after another great Stetson woman. I think we should name her Jennifer….after your mother."

Lee swallowed hard as a tight crooked smile began to appear across his face. "Amanda, that's….." Lee began before the words got choked up in his throat and tears welled up in his eyes. He cleared his throat and tried to speak again. "That would be amazing…" he managed to say before a few tears escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheek. "And how about for her middle name, we name her after another pretty amazing woman I know….Dotty"

Amanda began to get a little choked up herself. "Oh, Lee…I would like that very much and I know Mother will, too. Jennifer Dotty Stetson…or do you think it should be Jennifer Dorthea Stetson? That's my mother's real name but no one but Daddy ever called her that." she said in a husky tone.

"Well, why don't we let your Mother decide?" Lee said with a smile.

Amanda gently leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of Jennifer's head. Jennifer let out a little squeak as she squirmed in her blanket.

"Lee, would you mind taking her? I am feeling a little bit groggy."

"Oh…well, maybe I should get the nurse…" Lee said uneasily.

Amanda let out a soft chuckle. "Lee, you don't need the nurse and you don't need to be afraid to hold your daughter. Just support her head."

Lee looked nervously at Amanda. He had held the baby a few hours ago, but then the nurse had placed her in his arms.

"Just slide your hand under her head and the other hand, put under her little bottom." Amanda said lovingly.

He gently lifted Jennifer from Amanda's arms and sat down in the chair. He slowly exhaled and allowed himself to relax. He looked into her face and let her wrap her tiny fingers around his finger and his heart. In this moment, his life was perfect. He had everything he ever wanted but was too afraid to hope for. As he gazed upon his daughter, Amanda began to drift back to sleep.

"Hi, Jenny…..I'm your dad and I am going to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to you. And I can tell you right now, no boy is ever going to be good enough for my little princess." Lee lifted his tiny daughter to his lips and kissed her perfect cheek.

A soft knock was heard on the door. As Lee looked up, he saw Dotty making her way through the door. When she spotted Lee holding the baby, her entire face lit up. Her brown eyes open wide in excitement, she made a bee line for Lee and for her granddaughter.

"There she is! SHE! SHE! Can you believe it! I have a granddaughter! I never thought this day would come! Let me see her!" Dotty bubbled over. She gently pulled back the blanket and examined the baby's face. "OH!..OH! She's gorgeous! GORGEOUS! Just like her mother!" Dotty's face froze and a look of fear spread across it. "Oh my gosh! Amanda!" Dotty quickly looked at her daughter sleeping in the bed. "I was so excited about the baby, I didn't ask you how Amanda was!"

"I'm fine, Mother" Amanda said as she struggled a bit to sit up, wincing from the pain.

"Oh my darling! How are you? I was terrified when Lee called and said that you had to have an emergency c-section." Dotty said taking Amanda's hand.

"I really am fine and thankfully, so is the baby. She had a.."

"knot in her umbilical cord" mother and daughter said in unison.

"I know, Lee told me. Thank GOODNESS that you got here in time. I don't even want to think of what could have happened!"

Lee carefully stood up. "Dotty, why don't you sit down and hold Jenny?"

"Jenny?" Dotty said with a smile. Amanda looked at Lee a bit puzzled.

"We named her after Lee's mother, Jennifer" Amanda said.

"But, everyone that loved her called her Jenny," Lee said. Amanda smiled in understanding the calling her Jenny.

Dotty sat down in the chair and outstretched her arms in anticipation.

"And," Lee began as he placed he pink bundle in Dotty's arms. "We want to give her the middle name of someone else that is very important in all of our lives…Dotty."

Dotty's head jerked up from examining Jenny, her mouth agape.

"Or Dorthea, which ever you prefer, Mother." Amanda added.

"You want to name her after me? Oh, Amanda….Lee…I am so touched." Dotty thought for a moment. "I think it should be Dorthea, don't you? Jennifer Dorthea Stetson…..it sounds so…..regal, don't you think?"

Amanda and Lee both laughed.

"Ok, Jennifer Dorthea Stetson it is then!" Amanda said.

Dotty went back to examining her namesake, all the while making little coochy-coo sounds at the baby. Lee carefully sat on the edge of Amanda's bed and wrapped his arm around her and kissed her head.

"Thank you, Amanda. Thank you for giving me something I never realized I wanted so badly."

Amanda leaned into him and reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "You're welcome" she whispered through tears of happiness.

"Oh, Amanda…..she is so beautiful. She looks so much like you when you were born," the proud grandmother said. "You had more hair than she does, but she has your cute little nose and your little ears. Lee, I think she has your chin and mouth. Oh….she is just gorgeous! I can't get enough of her! Can you believe that you had a girl, Amanda? A GIRL!" Dotty's tone was downright giddy.

"No, Mother! I can't! I was 100% sure it was another boy. I would have bet everything I have that it wasn't a girl. Looks like this little one is going to be full of surprises, just like her father."

"Well, given she took her own sweet time in getting her, I would also say that she is stubborn, just like her mother!" Lee interjected.

"Oh gracious!" Dotty exclaimed. "Harry….I forgot about Harry! He was parking the car and I told him I would wait for him, but I got too excited. He's probably out there wandering around."

"I'll go find him," Lee said. As he rose, he gave Amanda a light kiss on her lips. "Be right back."

Lee walked out into the corridor and let out a heavy sigh. The emotions of the day were beginning to take ahold of him now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He began to walk towards to waiting room hoping to find Harry.

"Mr. Stetson?" a voice called to him.

"Yes?" he replied to the nurse behind the counter.

"Here are your car keys. One of the Bedside Bluebells brought them up from emergency."

"Oh, thanks! I would have been looking for those later tonight when tried to go home!"

Lee put the keys in his pocket and continued his walk towards the waiting room. As he rounded the corner, he almost bumped right into Harry.

"Lee, my boy! Congratulations!" Harry exclaimed as he pulled Lee into a bear hug and patted him firmly on the back.

Lee smiled from ear to ear. He was so thrilled to have Harry here at the hospital to meet his daughter. Harry was the closest thing he had to a father and he was anxious for the two of them to be introduced.

"Thank you, Harry! It's…..it's absolutely amazing."

Harry chuckled and pressed a few "It's a girl" cigars into Lee's hand.

"How is everyone doing?"

"Good….everyone is doing good. Amanda is tired and sore, but she's happy and the baby is just perfect!"

"Dotty send you out to find me?"

"Uh, yea…she got a 'little' excited and couldn't wait any longer."

"Oh, that's quite alright! I had to about peel her off the ceiling after you called and told her it was a girl. I didn't really expect her to wait. What did you and Amanda name the little butter bean?"

"Jenny….well, Jennifer…..after my mom."

Harry looked at Lee for a moment and smiled.

"Oh, Lee….I think that is wonderful. Your mother would be tickled pink if she could have been here today. The world definitely needed another Jennifer Stetson."

"It was Amanda's idea."

"Well, you know how I feel about Amanda and this just proves it all over again that she is about the finest of women that exist on this planet!"

Lee smiled a tight lipped smile and nodded his head.

"And I'll let you in on a little secret…..so is her mother." Harry said with a smile. "and…..I am going to ask Dotty to marry me."

Lee looked at Harry with wide eyes and a smile to match.

"Harry? You and Dotty are going to get married? Haha! That is great!"

"Well, I hope we will…..I haven't asked her yet! I am thinking about doing it tonight. I already think of you and Amanda like my own kids and well, I never thought I'd find love like this at my age….so I want to make Dotty officially part of my family….and me officially part of yours."

"Wow, well I think it is just great! And so will Amanda! Come on, let's go meet Jenny."

Lee and Harry made their way down the hall to Amanda's room. Dotty was chatting away with the nurse as they entered the room.

"Harry! Oh, Harry! Come meet Jenny! She is just so beautiful!" Dotty exclaimed.

Harry walked over to Amanda and gave her a kiss on the head.

"Hi Amanda, honey. How are you doing?"

"Hi Harry! I am good. Tired, but really good."

Lee looked inquisitively at the nurse. "Everything ok here?" He said somewhat nervously.

"Everything is fine, Sweetheart. She just came in to listen to Jenny's heart and take her vitals. It's a perfectly normal thing. And she is just fine!"

Lee relaxed a bit and let a crooked smile spread across his face. Harry looked down at Jenny in her basinet.

"Awww, if she isn't the sweetest little thing. You done good, boy!" he said to Lee.

Lee shrugged and laughed. "I had the fun part! Amanda did all the hard work!"

"Lee!" she said hitting Lee's arm.

"Ow!" Lee said.

"Oh please, that didn't hurt! And you are in NO position to be talking to me about pain right now, Buster."

"Very true" he said as he held her as closely as he could while sitting next to her in her bed.

"Do you want to hold her, Harry?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, no…no, no. I will wait until she's a little bigger."

Dotty laughed. "The man spent his life being shot at and kidnapped on a monthly basis and he is afraid of a little newborn baby. Unbelievable!"

"It's alright, Mother. I am sure that Harry will have plenty of opportunities to hold her."

Lee and Harry exchanged a knowing smile. Amanda began to yawn.

"Well, Dotty, honey. Why don't we let these three get some rest and we can go pick up the boys and take them to dinner?" Harry said.

"Oh, I hate to leave, but you are absolutely right. Amanda, darling, get some rest. Lee, I'll tell the boys you'll be home later and they can see their sister tomorrow?"

"Yes, Dotty. That would be great." Lee said as he got up from Amanda's bed.

Dotty kissed Amanda good bye and hugged Lee. Lee gave Harry a pat on the back and a wink and thanked them for coming.

Lee sat down in the chair and let out a heavy sigh.

"What a day!" he said.

"Lee…I may have just had a baby today but I am not out of it…what was that between you and Harry? What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"No, no….I am not playing games with you on this one, Scarecrow. I saw the smirk that the two of you exchanged earlier and just now the wink you gave him…..what's going on?"

Lee marveled at how no matter what the situation, it was almost impossible to get anything by Amanda. Lee ran his hand through his hair, trying to decide if he should tell Amanda or not about Harry's plans to propose.

"Lee….stop stalling. What is going on?"

"Harry is planning on asking your mother to marry him."

Amanda smiled and her eyes got wide.

"What? Are you sure? Oh, Lee! That is wonderful! I am so excited for them! When is he going to propose?"

"Uh, tonight, he thinks."

"Oh, Mother is going to be BESIDE herself!"

"Well, just wait until she says something to you in case he doesn't ask her tonight!"

"Lee…..of course I will wait."

Amanda yawned again. Her eye lids were looking very heavy.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Amanda. You've had a hard day!"

"So have you. Why don't you head home?"

Lee got up and crossed to Amanda's bed. He began to help her get comfortable so that she could rest.

"I will, in a little while. I just want to stay a little longer. But I want you to sleep. I hear that newborns and sleep don't go together, so grab some shut eye while you can, huh?"

He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She nodded faintly as she pulled the covers up under her chin. Lee gently brushed her hair back from her face and watched her close her eyes. Before long, Amanda had drifted off again. Lee made his way to the basinet and gently lifted Jenny into his arms. He carefully sat down in the chair holding on tight to the precious cargo. Resting his elbows on his thighs, Lee began to study the features of his miracle he held in his hands. Lee sat quietly for quite some time holding Jenny and drinking in the beauty of the moment. She began to squirm and opened her eyes. Lee looked at her and imagined that she was trying to figure out what the heck was going on. He let out a soft laugh and kissed his daughter on her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Jenny and welcome to the world."


End file.
